Excise official accuses boss of depriving him of share in bribe

A written reply given by a top official of the Excise Department to a show-cause notice issued to him has exposed the collection of ‘monthly mamool’ from 300 liquor shops in Tumakuru district.

Deputy Superintendent of Excise H S Shivappa, who is presently posted at Mandya, stated in his reply that the Deputy Commissioner of Excise issued him the show-cause notice after he demanded his share of booty out of the total ‘mamool’ collection of Rs 75 lakh.

The issue came to light when a man named B A Cheluvappaji Gowda, a resident of Mandya, obtained Shivappa’s statement under the RTI. He filed a complaint with the Excise Commissioner, but there has been no action so far. The notice to Shivappa was issued by the then Deputy Commissioner of Excise (Tumakuru), L N Mohan Kumar, who is presently Joint Commissioner of Excise in Bengaluru, on January 8, 2013.

The notice stated that the officer showed dereliction of duty and negligence. Denying the charges, Shivappa accused officials of the Excise Department in Tumakuru of indulging in large-scale corruption. “The real reason for the issuance of show-cause notice is monthly mamool. You (Excise DC) have been collecting Rs 3,500-4,000 from each liquor shop through the office staff. There are 300 liquor shops in Tumakuru and every month Rs 10-12 lakh is being collected. This apart, every year in June at least Rs 75 lakh is collected for renewal of licence by levying Rs 25,000 per liquor shop. On January 7, 2013, all other staff in the office received their share except me. My share was not given even six months after the collection. When I asked for my share, you (Excise DC) issued me a show-cause notice. Had you not collected mamool, I would not have asked for my share,” the explanation stated.

When Shivappa was transferred to Mandya, Gowda got to know about the notice and the subsequent statement. When there was no action on his complaint, he filed a complaint to the Upalokayukta, Justice Subhash B Adi.

“The complainant has obtained a copy of Shivappa’s statement. It seems the Commissioner of Excise has not initiated any enquiry on the complaint of corruption not only in Tumakuru and Mandya but also in other districts. There is a reference in Shivappa’s reply that a portion of the bribe so collected is parted with the ministry concerned. Though there are general rumours about large-scale corruption in the Excise Department, when a responsible official makes such a statement, it assumes importance and warrants proper action,” Justice Adi said.

The Upalokayukta has issued a notice to the Commissioner of Excise to submit a report by December 21.